Long way off before boxing becomes a top sport in China
Print Edition
LI Sheng, CEO of SECA, which looks after Zou Shiming’s interest, was a much-relieved man on Saturday.
“It was like a heart saving pill. Zou surprised us with his performance,” Li told reporters.
Li was quizzed in March about the future of professional boxing in China after Zou lost the world title challenge bout last March to Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng. Zou is the top name in the sport and his defeat dampened all efforts to popularize the sport among Chinese.
Zou’s promoters, SECA and Top Rank, had previously staged all his fights in Macau. In November 2014, his maiden 12-round bout against Thailand’s Kwanpichit 13 Rien Express was the undercard for the main feature involving Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.
Despite Zou’s victory at Oriental Sports Center on Saturday, Li is aware that boxing as a professional sport had still to make inroads in China.
“China’s professional boxing is still very young, in terms of talents and training methods. Most boxers are from the regional teams, who don’t have the platform to turn professional,” Li said.
“We are in the process of building a system that can produce boxers, trainers, as well as standard training methods.”
SECA and Top Rank jointly established League of Fists last year, a league featuring series of bouts in different weight categories. The first season attracted over 80 boxers in eight different events. Recognized by the World Boxing Organization, the new regional championship offers Chinese boxers a chance to win WBO points that could propel them onto international stage.
“The league provides a platform for Chinese boxers, many of whom have never experienced a professional bout before. We need to have a regular league, boxers and followers before talking about establishing an industry and collecting income from copyright, sponsor, tickets and related products. It is a long way off,” Li said.
League of Fists boxers include 21-year-old Zulpikal Maimaitiaili from Urumqi and 24-year-old Andrey Kalyuzhnyy from Dalian. Both of them took part in the undercard bouts on Saturday before Zou’s fight.
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